One-piece soft rubber plug



Sept. 22, 1936- c. P; BEROLZHEIMER 2,055,052

ONE-PIECE SOFT RUBBER PLUG Filed May 25, 1951 Patented Sept.` 22,1936

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,055,062 oNE-rmoa sor'r kunnen .PLUG Clarence?. Berolzheimer, Chicago Heights, lll. Application May 25, 1931, serial No. 539.6119

izfclaims'. (ci. 11s-ssl) This invention relates to an improved one-piece soft-rubber plug, particularly for electrical connections, and has for one of its principal objects the provision of a plug of this sort which can be simply and economically manufactured, and which furthermore, will be completely satisfactory from a commercial and an industrial standpoint.

One of the important objects of this invention I is the provision of a one-piece plug for electriy cal connections, the body of which plug is composed of soft rubber or the like, rendering the same somewhat iiexible while at the same time stiff enough to aiord a very satisfactory means of connection for the electrical circuit.

Another important object of the invention is the provision in an electric light plug or the like of means incorporated into the body of the plug for retaining the contact prongs while at the same time allowing the same to be readily removed and replaced, if desired or necessary.

. Another and' still further important objectv of the invention resides in the incorporation into a plug of this sort of means for readily grasping the same when it is desired to withdraw it from a connecting socket or the like, whereby undue strain on the wire and connections is lessened or eliminated. y

Other and further important objects of the in- 0 vention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawing and following speciflcation.

The invention, in a preferred form, is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the improved soit rubber plug of this invention, showing the interior. arrangement.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the contact prongs..

Figure 4 is a plan view of the ring which is embedded in the plug for supporting the contact prongs.

Figure 5 is a sectional view looking upward illustrating a slight modication.

Figures 6 and 7 show further modifications of the ring.

As shown in the drawing:

The reference numeral I0 indicates generally the body of the plug which is preferably composed Vof soft or semi-soft rubber molded into the shape as shown, and having a central opening l2 extending therethrough for the reception of current-carrying wires. It will be noted that the rear end of the body-is elongated and is formed with an annular bead or the like I4 whereby the same can be readily grasped by the fingers and undue strain on the wires is eliminated, especial- 5 ly when the plug is being withdrawn from a wall socket or. current-carrying receptacle. 1

Embedded in the body I0 and preferably incorporated thereinto at the time of molding` is a fiat ring I6 preferably composed of iiber or 10 some similar fairly stiff and insulating material, this ring being disposed concentrically with the opening I2 and having a set of holes I5 therein provided for the reception of prong fastening screws or the like I8. Screws 30 acting as binding 15 posts for the reception of current carrying wires are tted into holes I9 in the ring and pass through corresponding openings in the contact prongs.

If desired, the ring may be made in two pieces, 20 one for eachvside' of the plug as shown at I1 in Figure 5, and in the event that these pieces are separated by portions of the plug body itself, they need not under those circumstances be composed of insulating material, but may be made 25 of metal. If the elements I1 are composed of metal, the openings for the screws I8 and 30 will obviously be positioned closer together, but if the elements I1 are composed of lber or other insulating material, the screw openings will be as 30 shown inasmuch as the contact prong feet 22 .with the screws will then bridge the gap between .the adjacent ends of the sections I'I, as is obvious from an inspection of Figure 5, the spacing of the large and small holesin the individual halves Aof 35 the rings are such that the large hole in one half and the small adjacent hole in the other half, take the two screws which pass thru the contact prong feet. As shown in'Figure 5, the half sections would necessarily be made of i'lber or other 40 insulation material in order to avoid short circuiting of the prongs. Each of the screws I8 is adapted to retain the contact prong 2li in position on the plug, these contact prongs being shaped as best shown in Fig- 45 ure 3 and having a base22 extending at right .angles to the prong portion, one edge of the base being -curved to correspond with an'upwardly projecting annular lip 24 integral with the body I0 of the plug. 50

Each of the bases 22 of the contact prongs is provided with a pair of openings 26 and 28, the

openings 26 being for the reception of the fastening screw I8 and the other opening being for the `reception of the wire attaching screw 3i). The 55 isfactory from the user's point of view. 'I'he ring I 6, being of fiber or the like, is stili enough to properly position the contact prongs with relation to the plug and to each other, and even though the ring is made in twozsections, the body of the plug may be made su'ciently solid for proper positioning purposes. The screws I8 can ordinarily cut their own threads in openings in theber ring I6, but, of course, these openings can be previously threaded, if desired.

In Figure 6 is shown a ring 32 with a pluralityl of holes 34 formed therein. When the plug body is molded around such a ring, the rubber, being plastic, will flow into the holes 34, thereby securely locating and xing the ring in the plug body. lFigure 7 illustrates a ring 36 having notches 38 cut into its periphery whereby a more complete owing of the plastic rubber around and about the ring is insured.

In this plug, the contact prongs are seatedY on -a `body which is relatively soft and ilexible, and

the prongs themselves are. fastened to a permanently embedded disk or disk-like sections by an intermediate fastening means so that the contact prongs are yielding and distortable. These prongs are separated from the embedded disk or disk sections by a thickness of flexible material. 'I'his three-part assembly provides a very flexible fastening arrangement which is yielding and distortable without permanent misalignment.

I am aware that many changes may be Amade and numerous details of construction varied throughout a vwide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention: 1. An electrical connector plug, comprising a soft rubber like body having an opening extending longitudinally therethrough for the passage of wires, a non-conducting ring embedded in the' body, and contact prongs fastened to and positioned by the ring, feet integral with the contact prongs and screws passing through the contact prong feet and into the ring for mounting the same, together with wire-attaching screws'on the contact prong f eet.

2. An electrical connector plug, comprising a soft rubber like body having an opening extending longitudinally therethrough for the passageV of Wires; a non-conducting ring embedded in the body, and contact prongs fastened toand posip tioned by the ring, and screws passing through the contact prongs and into the ring for mounting the same, together with wire-attaching screws on the contact prongs, the plug having sockets therein for the reception of the ends of said wireattaching screws.

3.`An electrical connector plug, comprising a soft rubber like body having an opening extending longitudinally therethrough for the passage of wires, a non-conducting ring, embedded 1n the body, and contact prongs fastened to the ring, said contact prongs provided with integral foot members and screws for fastening the foot members to the seating ring.

4. An electrical connector, comprising a soft rubber body, a non-conducting ring embedded in the body, `a pair of contact prongs on the body and removably fastened to the ring, each of said 'contact prongs provided with an integral f oot element adapted to be 'applied against the outer face of the plug.

5. An electrical connector, comprising a soft rubber body, a non-conducting ring embedded in the body, a pair of contact prongs mounted on the body and removably fastened to the ring, each of said Contact prongs provided with an integral foot element adapted to be applied against the outer face of the plug, and a projecting annular lip integral with the plug body surrounding said foot elements, said foot elements separated from each other by air spaces.

6. In a soft rubber plug comprising a unitary body, contact prongs, feet on the prongs, and means for positioning the contact prongs, said means comprising a relatively stiff sectional ring molded in the plug body, and means connecting the contact feet to the ring.

7. In a soft rubber plug, contact prongs, feet on the prongs, and means for positioning the contact prongs, said means comprising a relatively sti two-piece ring of insulating material molded in the plug body, and screws on each contact prong foot connecting adjacent portions of the ring tothe foot.

8. A soft rubber electric plug, contact prongs on the plug, and'means for positioning the prongs, said means comprising relatively sti elements permanently embedded in the plug body, and means connecting the contact prongs to said elements, together with binding post screws in the contact prong supports, said binding post screws additionally connecting the contact prong supports to the positioning elements.

9. A softrubber electric plug, contact prongs on the plug, and means for positioning the prongs, said means comprising relatively stii elements permanently embedded in the plug body, and means connecting the contact prongs to said elements, together with binding post screws in the contact prong supports, said binding post screws additionally connecting the contact prong supports to the positioning elements, the rst-named connecting means between the contact prongs and the elements comprising additional screws.

10. An electrical connector, comprising a soft rubber body, a non-conducting ring embedded in the body, a pair of contact prongs wholly outside the body, and removably fastened to the ring.

11. An electrical connector, comprising a soft l rubber body, a non-conducting ring embedded CLARENCE P. BEROLZI-IEIMER. 

